Read: 1
Kings 14
1 Kings 14 continues with the story of Jeroboam.
His son, Abijah, has fallen ill. Jeroboam convinces his wife to disguise
herself and go to the prophet Ahijah to inquire about their son’s future. The
all-knowing Lord saw these schemes. Before Jeroboam’s wife could reach Ahijah,
the Lord met the prophet. God told him in advance what to say. It was a
prophecy of doom for Jeroboam’s family. Abijah will die and be buried. The rest
of Jeroboam’s family will die in an undignified matter, their bodies will be
eaten by animals and not a single one will have a proper burial. God will raise
up a new king to lead Israel – one who will permanently cut off the house of
Jeroboam. However, Israel’s idolatry will not be forgotten. Because of their
sin, Israel will be sent out of the land. God is just. He warned about the
possibility of exile several times before using it as a punishment (Deut.
28:63-64, 29:28; Joshua 23:15-16; 1 Kings 8:33-34, 46-53). To signify the
reliability of the prophecy, Jeroboam’s son dies as soon as his wife enters the
city (v 12, 17).
Now the story switches gears. The focus shifts from
the Northern Kingdom to the Southern Kingdom. A glimmer of hope for Judah still
lies in our hearts. Maybe they have remained faithful, despite Israel’s sin.
under Rehoboam, Judah has turned to sin just as their northern brothers did.
The Southern Kingdom has built high places, sacred pillars and Asherim (v 23).
They are engaging in prostitution as part of their idol worship (v 24). The
writer sums it up by saying, “[Judah] did according to the nations which the
Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel” (v 24). This sentence foreshadows
what is to come for Judah. Again, God is just. We can discern that He will deal
with Judah’s sins as He dealt with the sins of those who previously inhabited
the land. He will patiently wait, giving Judah many chances to repent. If they
do not turn, they will be sent away from the Promised Land.
Prayer and
Journaling
1. The Israelites built idols made of stone, wood
and clay. We build our idols out of things found more firmly rooted in our
contemporary culture. Our idols are hobbies, media, social approval, etc. Our
idols are anything we fear, desire and/or love more than God. Ask God to search
your heart. Do you have any idols in your life? Confess and repent. Ask God for
practical steps in permanently removing this idol from your life.
2. Ask God to show you His heart: Why does He hate
idolatry so much?
3. Pray for our country today. Our nation is full
of idols. Our culture celebrates idolatry. It teaches children how to establish
these false gods in their lives. This is not okay. Pray that God would raise up
leaders to return our country to the worship of the One True God. Pray that
these leaders would not be afraid to destroy the idols we have built. Pray that
many people in our country would systematically rid their lives of idols and
fill their hearts with the fear of the Lord and love for Him.
